Hanwha Ocean to build icebreaking research vessel

The ship will be completed in 2029.

Hanwha Ocean has bagged the project to build the next-generation icebreaking research vessel in South Korea.

In a statement, the company said the vessel will be deployed for polar missions and research at the Polar Research Institute, an affiliate of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology.

The vessel will have a gross tonnage of 16,560 tonnes, and will be equipped with a liquid natural gas dual-fuel electric propulsion system. The Polar Class (PC) 3 vessel will be capable of breaking through 1.5-metre-thick ice, and withstand temperatures as low as -45 degrees celsius.

Hanwha Ocean expects to complete the vessel in December 2029, helping expand South Korea's polar research mission.

The company started building icebreakers in 2008, when it began developing polar vessels in anticipation of the potential for Arctic shipping routes. Since then, the company has built the most icebreaking LNG carriers in the world, including a total of 21 icebreaking LNG carriers, with 15 being built in 2014 and six in 2020.

"Our next-generation icebreaking research vessel aims to be a 'completely new icebreaking research platform,’" said an official from Hanwha Ocean. "This ship will bring to focus the core competencies of Hanwha Ocean as a top-tier global shipyard."